In Death I am home
by xXSuzuXx
Summary: based on a picture on tumblr, can't find it now. Desmond / Altair / Ezio / Connor / Haytham / Everyone included pretty much.


He was dead. Desmond, as he stood in a field of pure white knew he was dead, simply because he stood in the light; because he stood in the light and he was alone.

Or so he'd thought at first. But far in the distance there were figures, shadows upon the horizon and they were moving, not threatening so, but moving away from him. He called out, begging that they wait, but no noise came from his lips and the shadows did not stop for him. His feet moved before his mind did, and he was chasing after them, knowing, knowing for some reason that he must catch up.

There was not far to run, for after but a few steps he froze in place and he realized who it was that stood in the distance. All his ancestors, gathered upon the horizon and before him – Altair, Altair as he had been when Desmond had known him, young and straight-backed and looking at him. Or rather, he was looking through him; through him in the way that he had looked through Ezio many times in the distant past.

From behind him came Maria, still in her youth and every bit the spirited figure Altair had fallen in love with. Maria who Desmond had seen die before her husband, who had once passed from the world in his arms and to either side of him their sons, who seemed to come from nowhere and passed, passed not only by him, but by Altair as well, each slipping by not without placing a hand on their father's shoulders before continuing, becoming shadows in the distance and Maria followed, only she did not become a shadow and she squeezed Altair's hand before moving past him. Then came Malik as Desmond remembered him, who Altair took in an embrace. They looked at each other for what seemed like a long time, with Desmond watching and then Malik joined Maria not far ahead of Altair. When they had passed, Altair looked at him; not through him, as he had before, but directly at him, acknowledging him and there was a smile upon his face. A smile that said he had found the peace he had searched for throughout his life and never fully found. Then he turned away.

Then it was Ezio who passed him, young once more and with his family at his side. His brothers, his sister his father and his mother and all those he had known in that time, but as he stopped, they continued and disappeared, with Leonardo short behind, who hugged Ezio quickly before hurrying off after them. Sofia and the family he would later came to have danced passed him, Caterina and Cristina both before them and then there was Yusuf, the grinning fool that he was, who kissed either side of Ezio's face, clapped him hard on the back and still laughing, continued. Ezio, like Altair had a smile upon his face, and where Altair had only nodded to acknowledge him Ezio waved, a picture of serenity as he turned, and suddenly he too was dressed in the Assassin whites.

Desmond almost stepped forward to join them, but then there was Connor, who hadn't passed him at all but materialized from nowhere. Ahead of him those who had been his enemies, but apparently no longer, walked and turned to shadows, Lee, Hickey, Pitcairn, all those he had assassinated and then Achilles and who had been his closest friend, who each nodded to him before they moved into the shadows. Connor made to walk, but then Haytham and Ziio were each there, Ziio pinching her son's cheek and Haytham resting a hand on his shoulder. They only stared at each other for a long time, nodded and Desmond knew that they had reconciled in death and together Ziio and Haytham disappeared, like the others had. Connor looked back at him, and like Altair, only nodded, but he too wore a smile upon his face and turned, jogging a little to catch up.

Draped in warmth and comfort, Desmond took a step forward, and there was Clay, turned to him and more at peace than he had ever known him and Lucy, smiling apologetically, but smiling nonetheless. He was still, and Clay gestured for him to join them, and Lucy, with a hand extended, mouthed something that might have been 'hurry up' to him. They were all walking together, he knew, they were showing him the path toward the light, where there would be a peace at last. The rest they had all been waiting for. And he followed, moving to join his ancestors, to join Clay and Lucy and as an eagle soared overhead, he knew that in death, he was home.


End file.
